85 Camaro Engine Upgrades: What are some fairly cheap ($500) that will give extra HP?
03-27-2017, 02:51 PM
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85 Camaro Engine Upgrades: What are some fairly cheap ($500) that will give extra HP?
Hey guys, I just recently bought an 85 Camaro it has a 305 5.0L V8 under the hood. I have a few questions about adding some horsepower.
I want to add some horsepower to this car. Any suggestions? Good upgrades that aren't too expensive.
I want to add some horsepower to this car. Any suggestions? Good upgrades that aren't too expensive.
03-27-2017, 08:03 PM
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Re: 85 Camaro Engine Upgrades: What are some fairly cheap ($500) that will give extra
Welcome aboard thirdgen.org.
They kind of go in this order: Exhaust, air cleaner, cam.
Exhaust is the biggie, and you'll probably need more than $500. Every piece of the 305 exhaust (assuming this is a VIN code "H" - very highly likely) is restrictive. Headers need to replace the exhaust manifold, and the rest of the exhaust needs to be bigger.
The opening in the single snorkel air cleaner is too small. A dual snorkel is much better, but they are hard to find. You can get another air cleaner from the junk yard and graft on another snorkel, and that will work okay. Most people go with an open element aftermarket air cleaner, which is also okay, but you'll suck hot underhood air into the engine, which is why a dual snorkel is a little better (assuming you have the ducts that go to the front of the engine compartment). One could argue this could be done before the exhaust, but best results will come doing both.
The factory cam is pretty lame, and most anything is better. It's a flat tappet cam, and cam/lifter sets aren't too expensive (Summit K1103 cam & lifter set, $104). Plan on getting new valve springs while you're at it, though, because the factory springs are too weak to handle any more cam. But, you really need exhaust and air cleaner upgrades before the cam will do you much good.
They kind of go in this order: Exhaust, air cleaner, cam.
Exhaust is the biggie, and you'll probably need more than $500. Every piece of the 305 exhaust (assuming this is a VIN code "H" - very highly likely) is restrictive. Headers need to replace the exhaust manifold, and the rest of the exhaust needs to be bigger.
The opening in the single snorkel air cleaner is too small. A dual snorkel is much better, but they are hard to find. You can get another air cleaner from the junk yard and graft on another snorkel, and that will work okay. Most people go with an open element aftermarket air cleaner, which is also okay, but you'll suck hot underhood air into the engine, which is why a dual snorkel is a little better (assuming you have the ducts that go to the front of the engine compartment). One could argue this could be done before the exhaust, but best results will come doing both.
The factory cam is pretty lame, and most anything is better. It's a flat tappet cam, and cam/lifter sets aren't too expensive (Summit K1103 cam & lifter set, $104). Plan on getting new valve springs while you're at it, though, because the factory springs are too weak to handle any more cam. But, you really need exhaust and air cleaner upgrades before the cam will do you much good.